Where does 2018 WR corps rank among those in Bill Belichick's tenure?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots had just announced they claimed wide receivers Amara Darboh (Seahawks) and Chad Hansen (Jets) on waivers Sunday when offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels approached a table where reporters waited. He didn’t have much to offer.

“I’m familiar with them, but in terms of specifics and details, I’ll defer to coach [Belichick] on that because I’ve been locked in a room here the last couple days working on Houston,” McDaniels said. “Those guys, I’ve heard of their names, and I’m familiar with them, but we’ll see what happens when and if that comes to fruition.”

The answer highlighted the unusual situation the Patriots find themselves in, balancing preparations for the season opener against the Texans on Sunday while also filling out a receiver depth chart that was depleted after a series of personnel moves didn’t pan out.

Cordarrelle Patterson (84) and and Chris Hogan (15), along with Phillip Dorsett, Amara Darboh and Chad Hansen, make up the Pats' receiving corps. AP Photo/Steven Senne

When asked if he has ever been part of a team with such a thin and evolving receiving corps at this time of year, McDaniels put a positive spin on things by saying, “I never really look at it like that ... I look at it more in terms of our overall skill group. I love the group we have.”

It helps, of course, to have tight end Rob Gronkowski as part of that group.

As history has shown, McDaniels and quarterback Tom Brady have done more with less at receiver, but how much less? It sparks the question: How does the 2018 opening-week group of receivers -- Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Pattrerson, Darboh and Hansen -- compare with the opening week receivers from the rest of the Bill Belichick era.

With the benefit of knowing how it unfolded in past years, let’s go to the rankings and assess where 2018 fits.

Hitting on 2002 second-round pick Deion Branch and 2002 seventh-rounder David Givens put this four-year stretch near the top of the charts. Pairing them with Patten and Brown made for a solid group that was critical to Brady's early success as a starter.

Middle of the road

This was one that might have looked shaky early on, but turned out OK. The combination of Edelman breaking out (105 catches) and Amendola (54) joining the club as a big-money free-agent added a spark, as did the energy brought by rookies Dobson (37 catches) and Thompkins (32).

Brady returned from missing the prior season and Welker had 123 receptions, while Moss added 83, but as Belichick had said in a documentary film, once defenses took them away there wasn’t enough. A third option would have helped.

At the time of the opener, there was hope Ochocinco would be a part of the team’s plans, but that ultimately fizzled fast. Branch was slowing down and Edelman (four catches) was still finding his way. So they fed Welker (122 catches).

2012: Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Julian Edelman, Greg Salas

Lloyd had 74 receptions, and while it wasn’t always smooth, he was ultimately a nice complement to Welker (118). Some projected Salas for a 61-catch big impact, but it never materialized, while Edelman was one year away from a big breakthrough.

2015: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson, Chris Harper

Brandon LaFell missed the first quarter of the season with a foot injury, and when he returned, he fought through some issues with drops. So after Edelman and Amendola, it was shaky.

Significant question mark

It might have looked good on paper, but Edelman was in his second year and hadn’t emerged, then the wheels fell off when Moss became distracted and was ultimately traded. That led the team to reacquire Deion Branch during the season and experiment with more two-tight end sets.

It will help to have Julian Edelman returning from suspension in Week 5, but after carrying three on the initial roster and claiming Darboh and Hansen seven days before the opener highlights present concerns.